


The Dragonslayer

by DizzyDrea



Category: Castle
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Bedtime Stories, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Kid Fic, Tall Tales, Trope Bingo Round 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-03 23:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10261388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: In which the Brave Knight saves the heir to the throne from the Great Dragon... with a twist, because thisisCastle, after all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story kinda reads like a fairy tale, but the way it's presented, it's really a tall tale, because the narrator claims that every word is true. I've been thinking about telling this story for a while, and with Trope Bingo holding an amnesty round this time around, I got to go back to one of my old cards and fill some more squares. Perfect timing! Plus, it's been a while since I've visited with the Castle fandom. It's nice to be back.
> 
> For the _Tall Tales_ square on my Trope Bingo card.
> 
> Disclaimer: Castle is the property of ABC, ABC Studios, Beacon Productions, Andrew Marlowe and a lot of other people who aren’t me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

_Long ago, in a kingdom not so far away, there lived a wise queen with fiery hair and kind eyes. The kingdom lived in relative peace for many years, until the heir to the throne was taken one day by the Great Dragon._

_The Queen sent emissaries far and wide, in search of a knight who could vanquish the dragon and save the heir. Many knights tried and failed, and the Queen began to despair that her only child would never be returned to her._

_One day, into the kingdom rode a knight in shining armor, a striking white plume perched on the helmet, riding an equally striking white horse. Into the courtyard this Knight rode, sitting proud in the saddle. The Knight spoke to no one, and was simply led to the throne room, where the Queen waited._

_The Knight didn't bow or show any other sign of deference, simply stood and waited for the Queen to speak._

_"You are a bold one," the Queen said._

_"And does not this situation call for boldness, Your Majesty?" the Knight replied._

_"Does this boldness include returning my only child to me?" the Queen asked._

_"I cannot promise to return your heir to you, as others have done," the Knight said, shocking the court. "I can only promise that the dragon will never again harass your people. If it is within my power, I will return your heir to you, alive or otherwise."_

_A young girl, just barely a teen, ran to the throne and fell at the knees of the Queen, sobbing into the folds of her royal robes. The Queen bent low, petting the mane of red hair so much like her own, as she offered what comfort she could to her granddaughter._

_She looked up and pinned the Knight with a piercing glare. Many a man had shrunken before that glare, but the Knight stood proud and unbowed._

_"And what will be your price for this service? A title? Land? The hand of my granddaughter in marriage?"_

_"I ask only that you allow me to do this service for your kingdom," the Knight said. "Once I have returned, I will name my price."_

_Gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd. None before had been so bold, but this Knight seemed to know no bounds. The Queen stared at the Knight for long moments before she nodded._

_"Your price is acceptable," she said. She drew herself to her full height, chin tilted up ever so slightly. "Know this: if you fail at your task, there is nowhere in my kingdom or any other that you will be able to hide from my justice."_

_The Knight's only answer was a slight tilt of the head. Bargain struck, the Knight turned on a heel and swept from the room. Low murmurs broke out, some exclaiming at the audacity of the Knight, while others doubted that this mysterious champion from nobody-knew-where would be able to vanquish the dragon when better known knights had failed._

_The Queen simply watched the Knight go, a small, knowing smile on her face._

~o~

_The Knight rode out into the countryside, following a path that many before had traveled, standing tall in the saddle and with one thought in mind: kill the dragon._

_The journey took many days, but the Knight's strength never faltered, until at last the dragon's lair came into sight. The Knight dismounted quietly some distance from the cave entrance. There was a gleaming sword strapped to the saddle, which the Knight drew and swung in the air, testing the weight and balance of a weapon this Knight knew well._

_Sufficiently armed, the Knight approached the cave entrance and slipped inside. As the Knight moved quietly deeper into the cave, the dragon's treasure revealed itself. Piles of gold and sparkling jewels winked from every corner and crevice, a testament to the dragon's avarice._

_Deeper still, the Knight moved on silent feet until the cave opened into a massive cavern, revealing piles of treasure the likes of which the Knight had never seen. And there, near the center of the cavern, suspended from the ceiling, was a gilded cage with a human inside._

_The Knight called to the human inside the cage, knowing that time was precious and that they must make their escape before the dragon returned. Only once the heir was safe would the Knight return to kill the dragon._

_"What are you doing here?" the heir hissed. "Go! Quickly, before the dragon wakes."_

_"Not without you," the Knight replied calmly. "I'll deal with the dragon when you are safe, Highness."_

_The heir—and now that he was standing, it was clear that the heir was a man—shook his head vehemently. "No, you don't understand! The dragon is here, now. You have to leave before he wakes up. He'll kill you!"_

_The Knight stood tall and proud. "I will not leave without you. It is the promise I made to your mother. Now, tell me how to release you."_

_Just then, the piles of gold shifted and shimmered, and up rose the dragon, the treasure sliding away to reveal a great beast with scales the color of the blackest night, seemingly swallowing all the light in the room. The dragon's head swung around, obsidian eyes boring into the Knight as smoke puffed from its huge nostrils._

_"You dare to come into my lair, Little One?" the dragon said, clearly amused. "I will send you away as I have done the others. Dead or alive, it makes no difference to me."_

_The Knight's sword rose, gleaming even in the low light of the cavern. "I have come to free the Prince. Whether you allow it or not, this will be your last day on Earth. That is the vow I have taken."_

_The dragon's head fell back, and a great, roaring laugh echoed off the walls. "You are brave, I will give you that, Little One. Brave, but also foolish. Many have tried, yet all have failed. You will be no different."_

_"So you say," the Knight said, smirking though the dragon could not see._

_Quick as lightning, the Knight feinted one way and dashed the other, using speed and agility against the huge, cumbersome beast. The dragon swung one over large foot at the knight, but just a bit too slowly. His claw only caught the edge of the Knight's helmet, but it was enough to knock it from the Knight's head._

_The Knight's head rose, revealing the face of a woman, her rich, brown hair cascading down her back._

_"A woman!" the dragon roared in indignation as—_

~

"Girls can't be knights, Daddy!" the little girl shouted.

Her father simply chuckled. "Girls can be anything they want to be, sweetheart. Besides, who's telling this story, anyway?"

The little girl settled back down as her father pressed a kiss to her soft, tawny hair. He settled a bit more into the bed, stretched his legs as they rested over the covers his daughter was tucked under and hummed.

"Now, where was I?" he said. "Oh yes, now I remember."

~

_"A woman!" the dragon roared in indignation as the Knight leaped onto a pile of gold and then onto the dragon's back._

_"Yes, a woman," the Knight shouted. "I am twice the knight of any man you've bested. And before you die this day, you will know it well."_

_The dragon roared again, twisting this way and that, swiping at his back with his claws, but to no avail. The Knight evaded every swing, dancing along the scales until she reached his neck. Tucking her sword into the sheath at her back, she climbed the dragon's neck as if she were climbing a tree. The dragon shook and shuddered, clawing at his neck as he tried to rid himself of the nuisance._

_But the Knight was faster, and soon enough, she stood atop the dragon's head. Unsheathing her sword, she reared back and rammed it into the dragon's skull, driving it deep until the very tip could be seen peaking out of the bottom of the dragon's head. The dragon gave a whimper as he slumped to the ground, puffing his last breath._

_The Knight leaped from the dragon's back and turned to the Prince, who stood inside his gilded cage, mouth wide open in astonishment._

_"Don't just stand there gaping," she shouted. "Tell me how to get you down."_

_The Prince shook his head, pressing his eyes closed, but when he opened them again, the scene had not changed. The Knight smirked knowingly._

_"There," the Prince said, pointing to a chain tied to a huge iron loop on the wall. "He used that to raise me so I couldn't escape."_

_The Knight nodded, rushing over to the wall to loosen the chain. Immediately, the cage began to plummet to the ground. The Knight simply held on, offering a weak counter weight for the cage, so that it thumped down to the floor as she sailed above. The Prince unlatched the door to the cage as the Knight slid down the chain, landing softly beside him._

_She smirked at him as he stood, still in shock, and watched her leap onto the dragon's head and retrieve her sword. She used a blanket from inside the cage to clean the blade before sliding it home in the sheath at her back._

_"Come," she said, turning to the Prince. "We must return you to your mother."_

_"What did she have to promise you for you to come rescue me?" he asked._

_The Knight tilted her head, a sly smile forming on her lips. "I asked to name my price when I returned with you. Your mother agreed."_

_The Knight turned and headed for the entrance to the cave, scooping up her helmet as she went, a satisfied smirk on her face when the Prince dutifully followed. She would offer the Queen her choice of the treasure inside the cavern, but she'd already decided on her price for the rescue._

~o~

_Many days later, the Prince rode into the castle keep astride the Knight's horse, sitting right behind her, hands clasped gently around her waist. The woman was the bravest of anyone he'd ever met, his mother included, and he dreaded the moment when she would ride away. He had come to like the woman, but knights like her rarely stayed in one place. And while he'd been married once—and sworn never to do it again—he would offer her a place by his side in a heartbeat if he thought she would accept._

_He could hear the murmur rising in the crowd as the people recognized their Prince riding behind the knight who'd saved him. Murmurs broke into shouts which morphed into cries of triumph and joy as word spread that the Prince was home._

_They dismounted the beautiful white steed and entered the castle, making their way to the throne room, where the Queen and his daughter were waiting for them. He ran to them and swept his daughter into his arms, holding her close and whispering assurances to her as she shook with tears of joy at his safe return. His mother, too, cried for the joy of her only son and heir alive and well. When he set his daughter down, his mother scooped him into her arms and held on for long moments. He simply slumped into her arms and allowed himself to be held._

_When at last they parted, his mother turned to the Knight, who waited patiently by while the reunion she'd enabled took place._

_"You have returned my son to me, whole and alive," the Queen said. "I owe you a debt I can never repay. But as we struck a bargain, I would know your price."_

_The Knight removed her helmet, sending a shockwave of murmurs through those gathered in the throne room._

_"There is only one price I will accept," the knight said, back straight, chin held high as her helmet hit the floor. "I wish the Prince's hand in marriage. I will give up my sword and pledge my loyalty to your kingdom if you will allow it."_

_The Prince stared at the Knight for long moments, unable to believe that his most fervent wish was within his grasp. He turned to his mother, who looked surprised yet resigned._

_"I know you did not wish to marry again, my son," she said quietly, "but my word is law in this kingdom. She has asked for her price, and I cannot deny it."_

_"And I would not ask you to," the Prince said, a bright smile on his face. "For it is my most fervent wish to marry this brave knight."_

_The Queen caressed her son's cheek, a pleased smile on her face. She turned to the Knight and inclined her head. "It would seem that my son is in agreement. I accept your terms. You are welcome in my kingdom for as long as you may live, and I shall proudly call you Daughter."_

_The Prince stepped off the dais, headed straight for his knight in shining armor. He took her hands, bare of the gauntlets she'd worn until now, and pressed a kiss to each hand._

_"May I know your name, Brave Knight?" he asked. "I would like to know the woman I am to marry."_

_"I am called Katherine," she said, a soft, pleased smile on her face._

_"Katherine," he said, with all the reverence the name deserved. "I am Richard, and it seems we are to be wed."_

_"Yes, Your Highness," she said._

_The Prince shook his head. "Please, I do not wish you to address me thus. We are to be equals, you and I. You are my champion, yes, but I also wish you to be my friend and lover. Will you agree to that?"_

_"Yes, Richard, I will," the knight said, tears in her eyes. "Long have I searched for a man who would say those words to me. It will be my honor to stand beside you for as long as we may live."_

_And with those words, a great cheer rose among the crowd, flowing throughout the castle and into the keep as word spread that the Prince had finally met his Princess._

~o~

"And they all lived happily ever after. The End."

The little girl looked up at her father, a tiny frown on her face. "I asked for a story about you and Mommy. That wasn't a story about you and Mommy."

"You think it wasn't?" her father asked, tapping her on the nose. "Your mother has been my knight in shining armor since I met her. I think you'll find that every word of that story is true."

"Are you sure?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"I'm positive," he said. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he stood up from the bed and tucked the blankets more firmly around her. "You can even ask her if you want."

"If you say so," she said. Her eyes drooped closed and she sighed as sleep claimed her.

"I love you, sweetheart," her father whispered. 

He dropped another kiss to her brow, then turned off the lamp beside her bed and turned to leave the room. He stopped, surprised to find his wife leaning in the doorway, a soft smile on her face.

Pulling the door closed behind him, he smiled at her. "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough," Kate said, reaching out and pulling him into her arms. "Your knight in shining armor, huh?"

"True," Rick said, smiling. "Every word of it."

"I'm not sure I like being your savior," she said, a slightly pouty look on her face. "You get into too much trouble."

"And you're always there to save me," he said. He leaned in and pressed a sweet, soft kiss to her lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

If it were possible, Kate's smile went even softer. "I love you, Richard Castle."

"And I love you, Katherine Beckett," he said, sure that this one thing, above all others, had always been and would always be true.

~o~

_…and they all lived happily ever after…_

~Finis


End file.
